Between 1-12 years with malnutrition frequency of anemia inchildren retrospective investigation

Malnutrition is a condition characterized by the deterioration of body balance as a result of insufficient intake of one or more nutrients. 45% of all child deaths are associated with malnutrition. It has been revealed that when malnutrition is accompanied by diseases such as acute respiratory tract infection, diarrhea, measles, and malaria, it increases the risk of death in children. Malnutrition on children; There are many complications such as infections, hypoglycemia, persistent or recurrent diarrhea, mild-moderate-severe dehydration, anoxia, heart failure, vitamin or mineral deficiency. In addition, one of the most important complications is anemia. Anemia; hemoglobin, hematocrit or erythrocyte values are below 2 standard deviations of the mean values considered normal for age. Anemia is a global public health problem for both developed and developing countries, as it has a significant impact on childhood mental and physical development. This study is a descriptive study and was evaluated retrospectively to examine the frequency of anemia in malnourished children aged 1 to 12 years. A total of 450 (54% male, 46% female) malnourished children aged 1-12 years, who were hospitalized and followed up in the Kırşehir Training and Research Hospital Pediatrics Service between 31 May 2018 and 31 May 2021, were included in the study. According to age groups, the patients were 1-2 years (12-23 months), 2-5 years (24-59 months), 5-9 years (60-107 months), 9-12 years (108-143 months) and 12 years ( 144-156 months) divided into 5 groups. Both relative weight and Gomez Classification were used to detect malnutrition in the cases. Patients were divided into three grades according to the Gomez classification as mild, moderate and severe malnutrition. In this classification, if the child's weight for age is 90% or more, the nutritional status is normal, 75% to 89% mild malnutrition, 60% to 74% moderate malnutrition, and less than 60% severe malnutrition. Children with malnutrition were evaluated for the presence of anemia according to the Dallman Criteria. According to the Gomez classification, 87.3% of the patients were found to have mild malnutrition, 10.9% moderate and 1.8% severe malnutrition. Anemia was detected in 28% of patients with malnutrition. While 35.7% of the patients with both malnutrition and anemia had IDA and 1.60% had vitamin B12 deficiency, folate deficiency was not observed. The emergence of anemia, which is associated with malnutrition, in childhood, when growth and development is rapid, affects child health negatively. It is recommended to detect malnutrition in children and evaluate them for the presence of anemia with complications. Keywords: Malnutrition, nutrition, anemia, child